Campaign Information

What is a buffer zone?

The buffer zone is a designated area outside of the voting place that is between 25 and 50 feet from the door of the entrance to the voting place. This area is marked with tape and/or cones by the county board of elections. Campaigning is prohibited within the buffer zone. 

The county board of elections also provides an area adjacent to the buffer zone for each voting place in which persons or groups of persons may distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity.  These areas are noted in the buffer zone document.

There are three polling places that do not allow electioneering: Ocean View United Methodist Church, Brunswick Forest Fitness and Wellness Center and Seaside United Methodist Church.

Neither the county boards nor the State Board regulates the placement of signage except at polling sites. Signs fall under NCGS 136-32 and are under the purview of the Department of Transportation or the individual municipality. In terms of signs on private property, that is the purview of the property owner and possibly their HOA if one exists. Review the signage requirement guidelines in the political signs and littering statutes fact sheet (PDF).

From the Brunswick County Unified Development Ordinance

Article 8, Section 8.7.7. Campaign/Political Signs

• A. Description - A sign without a commercial message that relates to an election or other event.
• B. Standards - Within seven days of the election (closing of polls), all signs must be removed.

Other Considerations

• Committees are responsible for picking up their signs following an election to adhere to state and local regulations.
• Private roads would be in a municipality or unincorporated. Questions regarding unincorporated areas should be directed to the Brunswick County Planning Department at 910-253-2025.
• Development HOA rules vary.
• Any inquiries about signs in DOT right-of-way (state roads) should be referred to the district office for Brunswick.

Signs at the Polling Place

Signs may be place at a voting place at least 36 hours prior to the opening of the voting place.  The signs must be retrieved  at least 36 hours after the close of the voting place unless a special agreement is made with a non-public building.

The Notice of Buffer Zone (PDF) provides guidance on sign placement for all polling places in Brunswick County.

There are three polling places that do not allow electioneering:

• Oak Island 1 (SB08) Ocean View United Methodist Church, 8400 E. Oak Island Drive, Oak Island
• Brunswick Forest (NB06) Brunswick Forest Fitness and Wellness Center, 2701 Brunswick Forest Parkway, Leland
• Grissettown (WB06) Seaside United Methodist Church, 1300 Seaside Road, Sunset Beach

The county board of elections does not field complaints about political signs.  

• Complaints about the placement of signs on state highways, including size or placement violations of GS 136-32, should be directed to the local NCDOT County Maintenance Office.  The NCDOT’s maintenance field employees assist in removing signs that are illegally placed within the state highway right-of-way. The NCDOT has an online portal to report issues. A citizen can select their respective county and report the sign through the website. Citizens who do not want to use the portal can call the main NCDOT number at 877-368-4968.
• The NCDOT online portal should only be used for signs placed within the state highway right-of-way. If the concern or complaint is that a sign violates a municipal sign ordinance, the candidate or citizen should contact the municipality.
• Questions about the “Paid for by ___” disclosure on the face of any political sign should still be directed to the State Board Office. G.S. § 163-278.39 and Rule 08 NCAC 21 .0501 govern when a political sign requires this disclosure. Candidates or voters looking to file a complaint about a missing disclosure can use the Campaign Finance Complaint Form available on the State Board of Elections website.

View GS 163-165.2(b).
Document Resembling an Official Ballot to Contain Disclaimer - No person other than a board of elections shall produce or disseminate a document substantially resembling an official ballot unless the document contains on its face a prominent statement that the document was not produced by a board of elections and is not an official ballot.

Using the sample ballots published by our office meets this criteria.

Sample Ballots & Campaign Finance Statutes

• Sample ballots are considered print media and are therefore required to contain a legend (i.e. "Paid for by [Name of committee]").
• If the sample ballot is marked for candidates other than yourself, it must also contain an authorization statement (i.e. "Authorized by [name of candidate], candidate for [name of office]" or "Not authorized by a candidate").
• Please refer to the Media/Advertising section of the Campaign Finance Manual (PDF) for additional information.

You may request a list of registered voters from our office. Send an email and include the following in your request:

• Requestor's name and phone number
• Brief description of the requested report
• Would you like the report sorted by precinct, last name, or street?
• Do you want the report to include active and inactive voters or only active voters?

The standard format of the report is Excel. If you would like a different format, please indicate that in your correspondence.

Other Statistics & Data

See our Public Information page for other statistical information.